She Fought And She Fought
by Ravvie-Kun
Summary: One-shot dedicated to the strong woman who fought and lost. *This is 95% headcanon/backstory and it's really short and terrible*


Evangeline avoided eye contact with the principal and the angry parent. She didn't know why her parents bothered. She would be expelled, regardless. That was what happened when you nearly beat a kid to death multiple times. This was nearly her twelfth school, and she was only in year seven. She was twelve years old, had a somewhat short temper, and was just under six feet tall. Other students liked to make fun of her size, which she believed was extremely idiotic. You just don't make fun of someone who can hurt you. And yet, this kid had tripped her, trying to prove 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'. He was now in the hospital, with a broken arm, and four broken ribs. The parent was furious with her, of course. They always were. Some took one look at her and been afraid.

"That FREAK belongs in a zoo, not a school!" the angry mother shouted. She hated being called a freak. Evangeline wished she was smaller. Or that she could shrink. Or vanish. Or all of the above.

"Please, Mrs. Carter, she's just a girl." Her mother tried to defend her. "And she really is a sweet young lady, your son just got on her bad s-"

"LADY? That's an ape in a skirt!"

Evangeline lowered her head. She was used to this sort of thing by now, but it still hurt. She hadn't wanted to hurt that boy so badly, she was just so much bigger and stronger than he was. She wanted to be friendly, but everyone was just so mean to her. They made her feel so angry, and she just couldn't control her impulses. She had tried so hard, but never could. They were so horrible…

"Evangeline, could you explain just why you hit Charlie?" she looked down, and tried to hide her face behind her hair.

"He kept tripping me… and I got really mad."

The principal nodded. "That's not okay, Evangeline. You should have just told a teacher or a friend." A friend. Ha. Very funny. She just nodded.

"The ugly little brat should just be kept out of schools, period," the parent responded. "She's a threat. How many schools has she been to, exactly?" Evangeline's mother looked at her daughter somberly. She was about to be expelled for the 11th time. "Homeschool's the only place suitable for that creature." The other parent was trembling with rage. "That may even be too good for that thing!"

Evangeline was expelled. Again.

"Angie, you have to stop this," her father said, sternly. Her hands were clasped behind her back. He had given her this lecture every time. And yet, she continuously got in trouble.

"I'm sorry, pop."

"You shouldn't apologize to me. You should be apologizing to that kid and his mama." Her father turned his head. "You gotta tell us when kids are being mean." he looked back at her. "Go help your ma in the kitchen."

That was a year ago. She was on the streets, now. The Great Depression had hit, and her parents could no longer afford to feed and clothe her constantly growing body. She was completely alone. She had been rejected from countless orphanages, as some of them couldn't believe she was a child, let alone a young girl. If they let her stay, they kicked her because someone had been mean to her and she retaliated. There was no place in the world that she was truly wanted, where she would be cared for and loved. She didn't even care about that. The least she wanted was to be accepted.

When she was 18, that changed.

She was alone in an alleyway we she met the woman. She had finally gotten into an orphanage, only to be kicked two years later for being too old to stay. She was six feet and four inches tall, which was already rather tall for a man. For a young woman, it was exceptional. She had survived on her own, and had built up amazing strength, as well. She was outcast, and considered ugly. She was still a fighter, and had been arrested for attacking people that insulted her. The woman, Miss Elsa Mars was building a human curiosity show, which was just a freakshow. Evangeline hated being called a freak. Elsa promised she would be loved, which struck her. She wouldn't face any more mockery and ridicule than those performing alongside her. Besides, she was starving. She would wither and die if she was on her own much longer. A circus troupe was better than death.

She was sleeping when he attacked her. In his dreams. She had beaten him to the ground, and made sure he was bleeding somewhere. She didn't feel safe, though. Of course there was no chance Dell could have touched her, she was as strong as he was. That wasn't it. Freaks were dying off. The troupe had ever seen a death before, but two at once? She feared for her life. She wondered if anyone else did. Everything had been going south since those twins arrived…

Ma Petite was gone. Not like before, when she was just with Maggie, no, she was gone. Dead as dust. They had found her dress, and decided an animal had attacked her in the woods or something. She had been afraid for the wrong person. What could have done something like this? There were no remains! She had been completely helpless. Evangeline felt a long dormant rage. A desire to kill, that she had never felt before. Of course, she knew violence wouldn't bring her sunshine back, and decided it wasn't worth it. She was attacked by an animal. Nothing could have been done. But something was nagging… Something told her maybe Ma Petite's killer wasn't a what, but a who.

Evangeline regretted that she didn't kill Dell. Elsa had simply shot him. That wasn't painful enough. A man like Dell deserved far worse. She didn't regret helping him find Jimmy, of course, Jimmy was her friend, as well. She didn't regret not killing him when he broke into her caravan that night, either, or else Jimmy would still be in prison. Now that she thought about it, he probably wasn't trying to rape her. He may have been trying to kill her. Evangeline hoped he burned. Elsa killed Ethel, as well. Deep down, she didn't want to hurt Elsa. The woman had saved all of them. But Ethel… She had broken her vow too many times, and she promised Ma Petite would be the last.

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. Evangeline didn't see much. Just that horrible bastard that killed the others.

How long had she been with the freakshow? Twenty-three years, she believed. She was six-foot eight, and could bench press nearly four-hundred pounds. When she joined, she vowed to protect any and all freaks, a title she now proudly wore. When Meep was killed, she was upset, and believed she'd failed. When Ethel was killed, she got suspicious. When Ma Petite was killed, she was full of grief and anger. Desiree told her what she'd seen at that forsaken museum. She was happy to punish 'Stanley'. When she'd found Paul's body,

Never once did she trust Mott, and it had taken her less than a minute to figure out he had done this. She had to do something. After all, she was a fighter. She could lift something twice his weight, so taking him down should have been easy. He was in Desiree's trailer, and had almost sniffed her out. He would kill her.

Over her dead body.

So she fought. She was so close. So very, very close. Dandy shot her in the leg to get her down, and in the face to finally end everything. At least she didn't die in vain. Desiree had had just enough time to escape. So she was wrong. Desiree wouldn't die over her dead body. And if anyone asked her, well, she'd never been a very humble woman...

Eve would tell you she died a hero.


End file.
